The Hanging Tree: Drabble Edition
by Tiny Author Life xx
Summary: "He steps forward and, purring, bumps his nose against hers; it's enough to make her legs quake beneath her, overcome with emotion. It's enough to startle her breathing, slow her racing heart, and bring a calm sense to her mind. The world seems to fade, a gray blur that is only interconnected by false hope and nightmares masked as dreams." - All characters from THT included.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, everyone ~ I hope you enjoy this little book of drabbles that take place before/up to/after the events of THT. Enjoy!**

**~Author xx**

_~scinder~_

_01\. __Blanket of Shadows_

**_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . ._**

_For the longest time, she could've_ sworn she was fine. She could've sworn up, down, right, left that she was okay; had it been an option, she could've told StarClan themselves that she was fine. She hunts fine; she swims fine; she sleeps fine; she functions fine both mentally and physically...

...so what has her so unbearably pained? What has her totally whacked out and hungry for revenge?

"You can't tell anyone, you hear? No one - not my parents, not your own, not _anyone_."

Oh, right... _that. _

"Did you hear me?"

She nods; his eyes - a clear, sky blue - flash in relief while her heart twists and coils with pain.

"Thank you... You have no idea how much this means to me."

She nods again - doesn't bother to comment, knowing that if she does, everything she says will come out wrong. He steps forward and, purring, bumps his nose against hers; it's enough to make her legs quake beneath her, overcome with emotion. It's enough to startle her breathing, slow her racing heart, and bring a calm sense to her mind. The world seems to fade, a gray blur that is only interconnected by false hope and nightmares masked as dreams.

He's still purring at her, and she tries to find a way to form words and speak. Her efforts fail her, and she's stuck with one option: to meekly purr back and whisker her tail in the air, signaling for him to go. "I'll watch for Opaldusk and Icefire," she finally murmurs, naming off his parents like they were her own. "They won't get past me."

He nods, his eyes grateful as he steps forward yet again and swipes his tongue across her ear. Warmth floods her body and she wishes that it was her he was running too; that it was her whom of which he loved; that she was his world and not some meddling she-cat he had met across the border only four moons ago.

At last, his pelt fades amongst the treeline; she's left alone with her thoughts - ones of bliss and ones of pure anger.

* * *

It doesn't take her long to find them; their stench of love and fear is stronger than foxdung.

They're sitting in the Sky Oak, silhouettes masked out in black ink behind the white aura of the moon. The sound of purring and leaves blowing in the breeze dust over her ears. Still, she doesn't focus on that; she focuses on them - the cat she loves and the blasted she-cat that took her chances away.

"I never want to leave this place," the she-cat's voice glides over to her in such a teasing way; the wind itself is mocking her failure. "I never want to leave you..."

"I know how you feel," she cringes as she hears his voice. "I'm the same way."

Anger rises inside of her, threatening to consume her in a violent rage; she forces herself not to act. _The time will come,_ she tells herself, _the time will come..._

_...and when it does, it'll _maul you.

The she-cat leans forward and places her head on his shoulder; she can hear them purring up a storm in that old tree from down on solid ground. It's enough to make her sick; enough to make her expose herself - but even so, she doesn't. She watched as he twines his tail with the she-cat's, and the anger builds and builds and builds to a point of no return.

She bounds forward, grabs the she-cat's tail in her teeth and yanks, pulling her down swiftly enough to stun her.

Her claws rip out the she-cat's eyes first; the cry that escapes the puny thing is enough to make her purr. She goes for the ears next; ripping and tearing at them until they no longer exist on her body. Teeth nip, bite down, and rip off flesh and fur; excitement and adrenaline course through her body - she's never felt so alive.

His voice suddenly breaks through the mass of agonized screams:

"Stop it! You don't understand what you're doing...you're in -"

_"Shut up!" _she snarls, tearing her face away from the she-cat's body and glaring at him. He shuts his jaws, and a rush of authority comes over her; she continues ripping the she-cat's body to nothing, flinging fur and flesh around like a mossball. While she's aware the cat is already dead, this doesn't stop her - it only fuels her desire to feel blood rushing under her claws, gliding down her throat and immersed in her pelt.

After a few more nips, tears, and scores with her claws, she steps back from the she-cat's body. He stands there with his tail between his legs, his eyes wide in shock. "Why..." he utters, as if words were the least of his worries right now. "Why would you do that to Treepaw?"

"So the creature _does _have a name..." she muses, "Funny; you never told me this beautiful she-cat had a name..."

He says nothing, and this makes her victory all the more bittersweet.

"Tell me," she suddenly whips Treepaw's head at him, the neck snapping in two; as if in a call and answer, crows fly away from the trees around them. Treepaw's hollowed out and bloodied eye sockets stare at him as she says, "Is she still beautiful now, Runningpaw?" when he doesn't reply, she continues. "Do you know why I do that to cats like her - cats that are beautiful and get everything that they want in life?"

He doesn't respond.

"Pity," she remarks with a purr, "I guess I'll have to show you."

She pounces, and that's when a bloodbath ensues.

* * *

**Forgive such another long ****absence?**

**This was obviously from the prologue of THT, but with a little more depth as to what caused it to happen the way it did. :3 This story/drabble book is going to be randomly updated and it's going to go all over the place - it probably won't stick with one topic for a certain amount of chapters and then go into the one immediately following the previous. **


	2. Farewell Author's Note

**Hello, everyone. I know you haven't heard from me in a really, really long time, but hear me out:**

**This account is going to be discontinued for good; just like Petalwish was, unfortunately. **

**I'm sorry, but I just haven't been in the mood for writing on this account anymore; the stories I've written are all for shame and while I want to take them down and start over on here, I won't. I know how much you all enjoy those stories and I'm not going to take them down for my sake. **

**You all can find/favorite/follow me under the name of **_thoughts and words _**now. **

**Thank you for giving me a chance of a lifetime; thank you for being here with me. **

**-Ben**


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